Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church
| Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | AELC |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Moderator | Bishop K. Frederick Paradesi Babu |
| Associations | Synods |
| Region | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Language | Telugu, English |
| Headquarters | Guntur |
| Founder | Evangelical Lutheran General Synod of the United States of America |
| Origin |
1842 Guntur |
| Ministers | R. R. Sundara Rao, P. Solomon Raj |
| Missionaries | John Christian Frederick Heyer, Anna Sarah Kugler, W. D. Coleman, W. P. Peery, |
| Office Bearers of the AELC |
|---|
Bishop K. Fredrick Paradesi Babu
Rev. Prem Kumar
|
Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC)[1] was constituted in the year 1927 in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the Indian successor to the United Lutheran Church in America which was started as a self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating church among Telugu Christians.[2]
Memberships
- Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad
- Lutheran World Federation (LWF),[3] Geneva
- It is an affiliate member of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI),[4] Nagpur
- It is a member church in the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI) – a communion of Lutheran Churches,[5] Chennai
- Asia Lutheran Communion
In India
Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau of the Danish-Halle Missionary Society at Tranquebar were the first Protestant Missionaries to India who were Lutherans.
In Andhra Pradesh
The AELC was founded as a mission field of the then United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) by John Christian Frederick Heyer (known as Father Heyer) on 31 July 1842.[6]
As a first step, schools were established. With new baptisms, the confidence of the missionaries increased. Later hospitals were established.
Structures
- Theological
- Charlotte Swenson Memorial Bible Training School, Rajahmundry
- Andhra Lutheran Theological Seminary, Rajahmundry
- Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad
- Medical
- Kugler Hospital, Guntur
- Ruth Sigmon Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Guntur
- Augustine Hospital, Bhimavaram
- Baer Christian Hospital, Chirala, Prakasam District
- Educational
- Andhra-Christian College, Guntur
- Andhra-Lutheran College, Guntur
- Stall School, Guntur
- Lutheran High School, Bhimavaram
- Shade Girls High School, Rajahmundry
Administration
The current Moderator / Bishop of the AELC is Bishop K.Fredarick Paradesi Babu. In the recent elections of the AELC, Bishop K.Fredarick Paradesi Babu was elected as the President of the AELC for a term of four years replacing Bishop B. Suneel Bhanu.[7]
For administrative purposes, six synods have been established, each taken care of by a Synod President. A 24-member Executive Council whose members are drawn from the six synods administers the Church society.[8]
Moderator / Bishop
The Executive Council of this Church Society elects a set of office-bearers each quadrennium.[9] The Moderator / Bishop heads this century-old Church Society. In earlier nomenclature, the term President was used. However, with the arrival of Rev. G. Emmanuel, the nomenclature was changed to Moderator / Bishop to denote a more ecclesiastical term. However, the term President also continues to be used.
Succession of Presidents
| Years | Succession of Presidents | Academic Credentials |
| 1944–1950 | E. Prakasam | L. Th. (Serampore) |
| 1951–1955 | A. N. Gopal | L. Th. (Serampore), Th. M. (LSTC) |
| 1956–1960 | G. Devasahayam | L. Th. (Serampore), S. T. M. (LTSP) |
| 1961–1962 | K. Krupadanam | L. Th. (Serampore) |
| 1963–1964 | G. Devasahayam | L. Th. (Serampore), S. T. M. (LTSP) |
| 1965–1969 | K. Devasahayam | B. A. (Andhra), B. D. (Serampore), Th. M. (LTSP) |
| 1969–1981 | S. W. Schmitthenner | M. Div. (LTSG) |
| 1981–1989 | K. Nathaniel | L. Th. (Serampore) |
| 1993–1997 | M. Victor Paul | B. A. (Andhra), B. Ed. (Andhra), B. D. (Serampore), M. Th. (Serampore), S. T. M. (LS), D. Min. (LS) |
| 1997–2000 | G. Emmanuel | L. Th. (Serampore) |
| 2000–2001 | N. Ch. Joseph | |
| 2001–2005 | Ch. Victor Moses | B. Th. (Serampore), B. D. (Serampore), M. Th. (Serampore) |
| 2005–2009 | V. E. Christopher | B. Th. (Serampore), B. D. (Serampore) |
| 2009–2013 | B. Suneel Bhanu[10] | B. D. (Serampore), Th. M. (SEAGST) |
| 2013-2017 | K. Frederick Paradesi Babu | B. Th. (Serampore), B. D. (Serampore) |
Women's ordination
For long, women's ordination in the AELC was taboo. One of the first theologically trained women of this Church, the Fuller Theological Seminary-educated Rev. Dr B. V. Subbamma[11] could have been ordained long ago. But Church leaders, fearing her leadership kept the issue of women's ordination aside.[12]
However, with sustained efforts and dialogue of Dr. K. Rajaratnam, Rev. Dr. Prasanna Kumari Samuel, and Dr. Monica J. Melanchton of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute (GLTCRI), the dream of women's ordination became a reality. With the active cooperation of the then President, Bishop G. Emmanuel, seventeen women were ordained into pastoral ministry on 20 February 1999.[11]
| Synod Presidents of the AELC[13] |
|---|
Rev. V. G. Devadas
Rev. P.David Raju
Rev. M.A.S.Martinss
Rev. K.Ratna Mohan
Rev. Ch. Elia
Rev. Y. Suvarna Rao |
References
- ↑ United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 December 2005. Retrieved 2007-02-23. AELC
- ↑ Kolluri Luther Richardson, Towards Self-Reliance : A historical survey of the programmes and efforts of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1927–1969, Published by Christopher and Kanakaiah, Vijayawada, 2003.
- ↑ Lutheran World Worldwide Faith News
- ↑ National Council of Churches in India "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-27. Affiliate Members
- ↑ UELCI Member Churches
- ↑ Luther Richardson, Kolluri, Rev., Towards Self-Reliance, p. xi, Editorial by Rev. Dr. D. V. Daniel
- ↑ UELCI Archived 22 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Almanac 2008, pp. 1–8
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Professor B. Suneel Bhanu was elected as the President of the AELC for a term of four years beginning from 1 June 2009 replacing Bishop V. E. Christopher. Professor Bhanu pursued theological studies up to M. Th. under the Senate of Serampore College (University). Prof. Bhanu taught at the prestigious Bishop's College in Kolkata and thereafter at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai.
- 1 2 Lutheran World Worldwide Faith News
- ↑ Victor Premasagar, Indian Women in Evangelism and Theology, Published by Dr. B. V. Subbamma, October 2005. pp. 12–15
- ↑ Almanac 2008, p. 3
Further reading
- Kolluri Luther Richardson (2003). "Towards Self-Reliance : A historical survey of the programmes and efforts of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1927–1969, Published by Christopher and Kanakaiah, Vijayawada".
- Martin Senftleben (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati" (PDF). I.
- _______________, (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati" (PDF). II.
- B. C. Paul (1984). "The Emergence of a Church in South India: A Study of the Growth and Development of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church: 1905–1927" (Unpublished Th. D. thesis submitted to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.). Archived from the original on 12 July 2011.